Several individuals and businesses received awards from the Des Moines Downtown Chamber at the organization’s annual celebration on March 3, an event that also celebrated the growth of the chamber and expansion of its programming.

During the event, the chamber announced the winners of its annual Citizen of the Year award, as well as Ambassador of the Year and Business of the Year.

Chris LoRang received the 2014 Citizen of the Year Award for his dedication to the downtown and East Village since opening Capital Chiropractic & Rehabilitation Center in June 2013. Justin Mandelbaum also was nominated for his leadership in transforming the Des Moines art scene.

Eric Petersen of Nationwide Insurance Co. received the 2014 Ambassador of the Year Award for his support of the Downtown Chamber through volunteer involvement and representation.

Gateway Market, owned by Orchestrate Hospitality, was named the 2014 Business of the Year Award because of its commitment to supporting events in the downtown community. All Makes Office Interiors and Fleet Feet Sports were also nominated for their involvement in the downtown community.

The annual Chambie awards were also presented by Iowa Nice Guy Scott Siepker. Awards included Best Business After Hours Event, Best Ribbon Cutting and Best Up & Coming Business.

During the event, chamber President Kris Maggard, also magazines and custom publishing manager at Business Publications Corp., touched on the chamber’s record growth. Membership surpassed 200 in 2014. She also introduced two new programs including LEAP (Leadership Education and Advancement Pipeline) a 10-month program series designed for women business owners in Central Iowa, as well as Downtown DIG (Development Insights Group), a discussion series that will highlight building projects and improvement initiatives.